Swallowed In The Sea
by mrs clark gable
Summary: Kate Roberts has finally gone too far and Lucas ends up paying for it. What if Sami wasn't the one who was set up the night before the wedding? What would Lucas do differently? How would it change him? COMPLETE
1. Switching Plans

**I can't seem to stay away, not that I planned on it, but I've only been home for a week. I guess writing's addicting, I can't help it. This story has been running through my head since I first heard of the ridiculous plot device JER came up with. Sami always seems to come off as the bad guy, no matter what, so I'm changing it. Now, I love Lucas dearly, but I would love to see him a little less saintly, if you know what I mean. I'm switching things around a little bit, but this is basically the fake cheating story the way I wouldn't have minded it going, no matter which person 'cheated'. Obviously, this is set in February2005. It won't be long, but it won't be short either. Now why am I still typing? Read.**

This was not good. Kate Roberts was not happy and when she was not happy, the rest of the world wasn't either. The stupid little bitch her son was in lust with would not take any of her hints. She refused to fall into the traps Kate had planted.

What was worse was that now, even her Neanderthal of an ex-husband wasn't cooperating either. All that the stupid lug had to do was return to Salem, but no, the idiot couldn't even manage to do that right. He hadn't lured Sami away from Lucas the first time he came to town and now he wasn't even showing up for her new plan. Sure, he didn't know he was being used as a pawn, but couldn't he have at least tried to be useful.

With another loud groan of frustration Kate managed to gain the attention of her half-witted accomplice, Eugenia.

Disdainfully she looked up from her claw-like nails, "What's wrong _now_, Kate?"

"Now? Hmmm, what's wrong now?" Kate tapped her chin in mock consideration, "I'd say the same thing that was wrong an hour ago! Brandon isn't going to show up and we're running out of time."

"I still don't get why we can't use some random guy from a bar. It'll still work."

"I never said it wouldn't work, but having Sami cheat on Lucas with Brandon would have been so much more dramatic."

"What do we need drama for? Either way Sami looses Lucas for good."

"You just don't understand revenge, Eugenia. It's an art form."

It was hard on Kate having such a low quality partner. It seemed whenever she and Eugenia got together Kate would end up remembering the glory days. She and Lucas had been the perfect team. They were determined to bring down Sami and they did it with style. It didn't hurt that they'd had complete access to Victor's resources, either. Although, normally it took a lot of convincing to get Lucas to go along with some of her plans, the end results were truly works of art.

"Kate? Kate? KATE?"

Her sorry excuse for a cohort stole her from her beautiful memories and silently Kate cursed the fact that she needed a partner at all, "What?"

"We're running out of time so you really need to stop drifting off to la-la land. I want Sami Brady to pay and you said you were gonna make that happen, so start making it happen."

"Believe me, I want her to pay much more than you do. Brandon's a no show, so we're going to have go with the random stranger at a bar. Hopefully she'll still go to the Jetway Inn looking for Brandon so we can at least start the plan. Can you tell if she's checked the Website yet?"

"Give me a minute," Eugenia turned back to the laptop beside her and began clicking away, "Nope, she hasn't seen the doctored horoscope, yet," she continued typing for another minute until a tentative "Uh, oh" filled the air.

Tried of Eugenia's melodramatic attitude, Kate cast her a scornful glare, "What now?"

"We missed something earlier."

Kate was suddenly alarmed at the tone of her voice, "What?"

"It seems that Sami did look at the Website…"

"That's terrific, now she'll…"

"It was before we changed it, Kate. She's not gonna be going to the Jetway anytime soon."

"You idiot! How could you let this happen? I give you one simple task, but noo, that's too hard for your peanut sized brain to understand!" Breathing heavily, Kate took a swing at the items on the table next her, sending them crashing to the floor. Finally, she took a calming breath before asking in a strained voice, "What the hell are we going to do now?"

Not realizing she that didn't expect or want an answer from her, Eugenia spoke up, "Well, maybe if we called Sami and gave her a reason to show up at the bar…"

"Shut up."

"But, Kate…"

"Don't talk. I mean it."

Reluctantly, she went over the merits of Eugenia's idea. It was strikingly amateur. It definitely lacked the flare she always added to her own plans. It had a lot of variables. Of course there was also the problem that she hadn't been the one to come up with it. That was a big strike against it, but, really, there was no other way.

"We'll try it, but only because we have no other options."

She grabbed the phone from pile of junk on the floor that she had knocked over and almost dialed when a tiny snag came up in her mind. If Sami were really determined then she could figure out where the call came from, even if Kate used the caller ID blocker. There was no way she could have this linked to herself.

"Give me your cell phone, Eugenia."

"Why can't you use that one?"

"Don't act so suspicious. When I lost my temper, I must have broken the phone. It won't work."

She snatched the cell phone without waiting for more protests and dialed the unfortunately familiar number. She prepared to disguise her voice, but as the phone went from ten to eleven rings, it seemed less and less likely that she'd need to speak at all. Finally she hung up, once again frustrated.

"Great, she's not answering. How the hell are we going to stop this wedding?"

Sami Brady was not going to get her son. There was no way in Hell Kate would ever let that happen. She was like poison that slowly seeped into a person's system and destroyed them from the inside out. Lucas thought he loved the little whore, but he'd learn soon enough that he didn't need that kind of love. It was toxic.

There had to be a way. If she couldn't save her son, everything would be lost. She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose; she was starting to get a headache.

It hit her then, the perfect solution, like a light at the end of a tunnel. She wouldn't have to change her plan much, just a few details. It would be a lot easier to lure Lucas out of his apartment, than it would be to get Sami. She loved her son, but realistically, Kate knew that this would fit with the image he used to have before this ridiculous relationship with Sami had started. A little over two years ago everyone would have said that Lucas was a playboy. Before Sami's accident he used to bring a different woman home with him every night.

She didn't approve of that lifestyle, but it was better than this 'love' he had for Sami Brady, of all people. For a split second she thought that she couldn't do it. He'd blame himself instead of Sami. His Horton relatives would probably give him a few good lectures and he'd be crushed. It would destroy his reputation and he might want to leave Salem.

Kate shook away the moment of doubt. Lucas would be better off without the Horton's and their preachy ways. He'd definitely be better off without Sami. If he wanted to leave Salem she'd help him do it and she'd get Will for him, too. It was the only way.

With forced composure, she sat up straighter, "Okay, we have a new plan."

Eugenia let out a relieved sigh and clasped her hands in her lap eagerly, "That's good because I was starting to think you'd lost your touch, Kate."

"If I didn't need your help, I feed you to Sami on a silver platter. But, anyway, we have to work fast or else this isn't going to work. We need to start making arrangements."

"You still haven't told me the plan."

"Oh, right," Kate looked at her distastefully, if she didn't have to there'd be no way she'd share this little gem, "Well, it's simple really, since we can't make it look like Sami cheated on Lucas, then we'll make it look like Lucas cheated on Sami."


	2. The Trap

Lucas entered the crowded bar of the Jetway Inn uncertainly, this was not where he wanted to be. If anything, the only place he wanted to be was lying in bed with Sami. Stupid wedding superstitions.

Instead he was at a bar he'd never been to before because his mother was lonely. He really needed to find some new companions. He spent too much time with his mother for it to be healthy. Not that he didn't love her, but there was only so much a man could take.

Finally, he spotted her sitting at a table, looking completely out of place. She was overly composed and business-like in a bar that could only be described as a dive- at best. He made his way through the crowd and sat across from her noting that she seemed a little too relieved that he was there. That was weird.

"Are you feeling better, Mom?"

"Oh, honey, I'm so glad you came. I was almost afraid you wouldn't."

"It is the night before my wedding. I wasn't exactly planning on going out, but you sounded really upset on the phone."

"I didn't mean to scare you; baby, but I couldn't help it. I thought seeing my son might make me feel better."

"Look, if you're even thinking of trying to talk me out of marrying Sami, then…"

"I'm not going to interfere, I already promised you that. I just… with the wedding coming up, it reminds me of how much I miss Roman," Kate kept her face turned in the perfect light for the strategic tear that coursed down her face to shine tragically.

"I know you miss him, Mom." He placed a hand over hers on the table in an effort to comfort her, and Kate struggled to keep up her devastated appearance. This was going better than she could have imagined.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to loose it like that. I wanted you here to cheer me up, and instead I'm bringing you down with me. How about I get our drinks while I compose myself? What would you like?"

"A club soda would be great, I guess," Lucas watched her walk away in confusion; that was a strangely abrupt end to the conversation, she seemed more out of sorts than normal.

Kate moved quickly to her designated spot at the bar and ordered from the bartender, while discreetly signaling to the petite redhead over in the corner that it was almost time.

Her name was Lea, or something like that, and she would be the lucky girl to break up Sami and Lucas. The girl had no scruples and therefore had no problem accepting a large amount of cash in exchange for her help. Eugenia had offered herself up for the role when Kate had told her of the plan, but that would have been too obvious. Besides, she had another job to do that would be just as important. Hopefully the dolt wouldn't screw it up.

The bartender placed the two cups in front of her and carefully she checked to make sure that no one was watching her. The couple to her right was too wrapped up in each other- literally- to notice her actions and the rest of the bar were slightly away from her corner.

With movements stealth enough to make any cat burglar proud, Kate slipped a white powder into Lucas's club soda and mixed it thoroughly. She allowed herself a moment to glory in her impending triumph, and then made her way back to the table.

"Here you go," she set his drink down carefully, there was no way they could afford to loose a single precious drop, and looked at her son expectantly, "Drink up."

"Thanks for the directions, Mom," he let out sarcastically. She always treated him like a child.

"I just want to make sure you're well hydrated for your big day. It would be horrible if you were to find yourself unable to say 'I do' because of your parched throat."

"Always looking out for me, huh. I don't think my hydration will be a problem, not that you'd be disappointed if something kept me from marrying Sami."

"Honey, you know I want you to be happy. I may not like Sami, but I am not going to interfere. I thought we'd already been over this."

"I know you've promised…"

Kate nodded her head and pretended to pay attention to Lucas's ramblings, watching gleefully as his cup came closer and closer to being empty. Now was the perfect time. As inconspicuously as possible, she moved to signal Lea, again, behind her head, covering it up by fixing her hair.

Seconds later the shriek she was waiting for came, "Kate Roberts, is that you?" Lea came to the table confidently, "And who is this handsome man by your side?"

Lucas shifted uncomfortably at this annoying woman's admiring gaze. His head felt fuzzy and he was having trouble focusing his eyes. In fact, if he didn't know better he would have sworn that he'd had something stronger than club soda tonight, but that was impossible.

"Lucas, this is Lea. She worked with me a few years ago. Lea, this is my son, Lucas. I'm sure I've told you about him. He's the one getting married tomorrow."

"Such a pity. Seem all the good ones are taken," he took the hand she offered and shook it quickly. The smile she was throwing at him reminded him of a piranha.

"It's nice to meet you, anyway, Lea was it?"

Things were going perfectly. Kate sat back as Lucas tried to keep up with the small talk that the girl was making, but he was having difficulties. The drug seemed to be working fast and that fit nicely into her plan. Now it was time for her to disappear. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, and then quickly made her way to find Eugenia.

Lucas looked at the woman across from him and felt like his head was spinning. It was time for him to go home, no question about it.

"I think it's time I got going. If you don't mind, do you think you could tell my mother that I left? It was nice meeting you."

As politely as he could, Lucas got up and prepared to walk away, but as soon as he stood he lost his balance. He stumbled for a second, and then Lea caught his arm.

"Why don't you let me drive you home? You look like you've had too much to drink."

His mumbled protest of how that was impossible fell on deaf ears as the young woman he barely knew led him from the table.

……………………………………………..

Eugenia paced the hallways nervously as she waited for her final assignment to be over. Mentally she went over her checklist. Set up the hotel room to look like it was used for a quick, unplanned affair? Check. Left the door unlocked? Check. Made sure that the man who rented her the room would be taking a long vacation on Kate's payroll? Check.

Got someone that Sami trusted to the motel? Almost.

Yes, she had done all she could do. If only Kate would stop making her plans so much more difficult than they had to be. Really, why couldn't they leave an anonymous phone message for Sami about Lucas's indiscretions? No, they had to lure her little sister to the Jetway, just so that it wouldn't look suspicious. How was she supposed to get Belle Black-Kiriakis to come there, anyway?

After an hour or so of contemplation, she'd finally come up with a plan. Not the best plan in the world, obviously, but a plan all the same. Belle would show up in minutes because she had been convinced that one of her friends from college was in trouble.

Eugenia had called Belle sobbing hysterically claiming that she was an old friend who happened to be at the Jetway where a guy had tried to force her into going to his hotel room. She conveniently forgot to mention her name, but asked her to come right away. It was her best performance to date; luckily she'd gotten the answering machine.

She almost let out a squeal of delight when the she finally caught sight of the blonde she'd been looking for. Finally, revenge on Sami Brady, it was too good to be true.

……………………………………………………

Belle looked around the lobby of the dank motel distastefully. No wonder her friend had gotten into trouble in a place like this. It was weird that this girl had called her considering that she hadn't talked to many of her college friends in awhile, but maybe she was desperate.

Even if it was a little weird, she wasn't going to turn her back on anyone. It was a distraction and that's what she needed. Resolutely she went to the entrance to the bar and looked for any sign of a familiar face.

No one, that was strange, she didn't see anyone she recognized. She turned back to the front desk, but there was no one around. She couldn't even ask if they'd seen an upset young woman leave. Now what was she going to do?

Belle went back to searching the bar's faces, but stopped in shock as she came to one person she'd hadn't expected. What in the world was Lucas doing here?

She watched him stagger as he stood up and a pretty redhead caught his arm as her heart sank to her stomach. There was no way he would do this to Sami, would he? If he was drunk her sister would be so disappointed in him, but she could only hope that was all that was going on here.

The redhead kept his arm to guide him through the bar and Belle silently prayed that she was just taking him to his car, she could find a way to prevent drunk driving as long as he went to his car, but that hope died away as they continued on towards the hallway that probably led to the motel rooms. How could she tell Sami about this? It would break her heart. But, how could she not?

She had thought that her older sister had found true love, but it seemed that all men really were slime. Knowing there was no other way; Belle took out her cell phone to place the call that would cause turmoil in a burgeoning family.

**I know everyone will probably want to shoot the messenger, but I'm trying not to make Belle a cartoon character in this. She thinks she's doing right by her sister, that's all there is to it.**


	3. Denial

"How did it go?"

Eugenia nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected hiss behind her. Kate didn't know how creepy she could be sometimes.

"Belle just showed up and I think she saw Lucas leave with Lea. She called someone."

"Perfect."

The older woman's voice was so sinister, she wondered for the hundredth time if perhaps getting mixed up with Kate Roberts was a mistake. The woman was diabolical in an almost unrealistic way. All she needed was a handlebar mustache, and then Snidley Whiplash move over.

"Eugenia?"

Blankly she looked up at her partner, unfortunately being pulled out of her intriguing imagination, "Huh?"

"Have you heard a word I've said? Oh, never mind, I don't care," roughly Kate grabbed her wrist and prepared to drag her away, "We need to get out of here before we're spotted."

"You mean I don't even get to watch the fireworks? What the hell kind of revenge is this, Kate?"

"The kind of revenge that is in no way connected to us! We can't stick around, it's too suspicious. Just be happy that we're bringing Sami's world down around her. She'll never know what hit her."

……………………………………….

Lea grunted as the guy she was leading down the hall leaned more and more weight on her. He was toasted, no matter how many time he kept saying it wasn't possible. Why, oh, why did she agree to do this again? Oh, yeah, more money than she'd ever seen in her life.

Thankfully the door they had told her to go to was unlocked and she didn't have much farther to go. There was no way she'd be able to carry all of his dead weight, and that's what he would be soon. He was too close to passing out as it was.

She dumped him on the messed up bed as soon as they came close enough and inspected the room. There was nothing very special about it. Just a motel room, like all the others she'd seen in her time. The bed was already messed up enough to make it look like they had done something, which meant less work for her.

First, she'd focus on the guy. With a put upon sigh, Lea struggled to arrange Lucas in the right position, which took quite some time as he was no help at all. All he seemed capable of doing was muttering on and on about some woman named Sami and how he had to get home.

She continued to ignore him and began to strip his clothes and throw them around haphazardly. It had to look like they'd been in a rush to get to the bed. All she had left to do was put on a little makeup to make herself look ravished and get into position.

…………………………………..

A cryptic conversation with her little sister had not been what she was expecting when the phone rang in the middle of the night. She hadn't thought that the night before her wedding she would be in a sleazy motel rescuing Belle from whatever trouble had occurred, but here she was.

Sami finally found Belle sitting on a couch in the lobby that could not have been sanitary, but she didn't think commenting on that would make much of a difference right now.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

She came to sit beside her sister, grateful for the fabric of her jeans that came between herself and the material of the grungy furniture. Her sister looked terrified as soon as she heard her voice. She had thought that maybe Belle had had a bit of an overreaction to something, but now she was really concerned.

"Are you hurt? What happened?"

"Oh, Sami, I don't think I can tell you this."

"You can tell me anything, Belle. Did someone hurt you?"

"No, no, it's not me."

Belle bit her bottom lip, a habit that she shared with her older sister. This was too hard; she didn't want to do this. Sami deserved to be happy, why did she have to be the one to ruin it? She could feel herself shaking and felt like she was on the verge of tears. She could only imagine how devastating this was going to be.

"Tell me what's going on. You're starting to scare me, Belle."

"I…I saw, oh god, this is so hard."

"What did you see?"

A thousand different scenarios were playing around in Sami's head. Maybe she saw, John and Kate getting it on. That would definitely be horrifying.

"Sami, I… I saw Lucas with…he was with another woman."'

Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Fear. Anger. Those were just a few emotions that Belle could detect on her sister's face. Silently, she prayed that the anger would not be directed to her. She knew what her sister was like and she did not want to take the brunt of her fury.

Sami felt a whole new kind of rage at what Belle was implying. Lucas would not do that. He just wouldn't. There was no way. It was NOT possible. Just the thought of… no, Belle was lying. Why would her baby sister lie about this? No, it didn't matter why, she just was.

"Why would you make something like that up, Belle? I thought you, of all people, were happy for me. Are you jealous? Is it because I actually love my fiancé and you'd rather be with Shawn?"

"I wish I was making this up, believe me. I never thought he'd do something like this. I'm so sorry."

"Don't," she cut her off abruptly, "Don't say you're sorry. It's not true. Lucas loves me, he wouldn't cheat on me. He _wouldn't_."

She just had to keep repeating that to herself. He wasn't like that. He would never cheat. Everything would be all right. He wasn't here, no, Lucas was at his apartment asleep. They'd get married tomorrow and everything would be fine. So, how come that was becoming harder to believe?

"I'm going to call him. You'll see, Belle. Lucas is going to be at home, sleeping peacefully. I know he is."

Belle watched helplessly as Sami waited for Lucas to pick up the phone. She knew he wouldn't answer, but at the same time she was hoping that he would. Then, everything would be fine.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Sami was loosing her confidence. With each drop of her shoulders and worried expression Belle felt her heart break along with her sister's.

What could she do? Lucas wasn't answering, that much was clear. She could call Will at the pub; he might know where his dad was. But then she'd just worry her son and wake up him and her grandfather. That was out of the question. What to do?

"Okay, so he's not answering. That doesn't mean he's with another woman."

"I saw him go into a room with a redhead, Sami. I know what I saw and it was definitely Lucas. I'm sorry, but you needed to know."

"It's not true and I'll prove it right now. Take me to the room."

"What? Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. You're upset right now and…"

"Take me to the room you _think_ Lucas is in. I'll show you, it wasn't him."

Reluctantly, Belle got up and began to lead Sami to the room that Lucas and the other woman were in. This was a really bad idea, but there was no arguing with Sami without bodily harm.

**Man, things are getting depressing. I almost hate myself for letting them go through this, but we all know things will work out. Well, I know it because I'm writing it and you should know it because I've never written a Lumi story without a happy ending. Oh, and RGAP-48, to answer your question, I don't feel anything about Brady. He could die and I wouldn't really care. He could ride off into the sunset and I guess I'd be happy for him, but it wouldn't affect me much.**


	4. Falling Apart

**This is the chapter I've been dreading writing. I kind of wish I could just skip ahead and let everyone use their imaginations, but that wouldn't be fair. I don't know why I write stories I know it would be hard for me to read if I were to come across it. I guess I can't help what I feel like writing. Oh, well, just remember that things will get better. That's a promise I can keep.**

This woman was taking freaking _forever_ to show up. Drearily she looked at the guy in bed with her again. He was built, like really built. If he had been a little more conscious Lea might have tried to take advantage of his intoxication.

She stifled another yawn, vaguely wondering where this "fiancée from hell", to quote Kate, could be. She'd had a long day. Before she'd gotten this job there had been a lot of partying. Then there was the dragging a grown man around a motel, talk about exhausting.

She must have been lying in this bed for hours. Kate had told her that this job would be simple and, most likely, fast. There was only so much she could do to stay awake. She had been up late, even for a night owl like herself. Slowly Lea's eyes drifted shut and she fell into a light sleep.

………………………………...

She must have been there for hours. That was all that Sami could think. Just when Belle had been about to lead her to the room that Lucas was _not_ in, the stupid guy who ran the desk had to show up. Then, of course, Belle claimed that she didn't know which room it was.

Bullshit. The little twit was trying to cover up for her lie. She still couldn't find a reasonable explanation for Belle lies, but who said that Belle was reasonable?

"Listen, buddy, I'm sure you could try to be a little understanding. We just need to know which room a," she swept glance at Belle before continuing, "petite redhead and a dark haired guy rented. His name is Lucas Roberts."

"There is no Lucas Roberts here, miss."

Sami gave her little sister a look that clearly said, "ha, I told you so." Unfortunately, Belle wouldn't back down and asked for the guy to tell them the room number of the girl.

"We don't give out room numbers to strangers. Especially not to ones that don't know the person's name. Our customers have the right to some privacy."

"Look, I need to know which room they're in so that I can prove to my sister that my fiancé is not with another woman. Do you get it now?"

Ed studied the forceful young woman in front of him more closely. So this was the broad that he was supposed to fake out. The older woman who had paid him to lie about who rented the room hadn't said what she was planning, but this must have been it. It was a shame to hurt two kids so much and the pretty blonde in front of him looked close to snapping.

If it weren't for the thought of his sick wife at home with their ever-growing brood, he would have stopped this right here. As it was, in this world it was every man for himself and he needed to think about his family first. He might go to hell, but his wife wouldn't be suffering anymore. That was all that mattered.

So, he ignored the part of his gut telling him how horrible he was and told the lie he had been paid to tell.

He was definitely going to hell.

………………………………...

Lucas shifted slightly and moved closer to the warm body next to him. Sami seemed different, even to his hazy mind. He tried to break through the fuzz in his head and reach full awareness, but he felt more than half asleep as he struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

He couldn't bring himself to open them less than halfway, not even enough to see the room he was in. An indistinguishable thought was trying to make its presence known, but he couldn't grasp it. It was right on the edge of his mind. Mentally he reached for it, positive that if he focused completely it would be his.

It was as if he were trying to seize wisps of smoke. Every time his metaphorical hand reached out, the smoke slipped through his fingers. There was something very important that he had to remember, but the process was quickly exhausting him.

He slipped back into an uneasy oblivion.

………………………………...

This was the right door. Should she knock? Would it matter? It wasn't like she knew the people in there, because Lucas wasn't there. And if he was, then he definitely deserved to have his privacy violated. But that was a stupid thought because he could not be in there. Why couldn't she make her hand reach for the doorknob?

Belle watched uncertainly as Sami hesitated again. She kept moving like she was about to open the door, but stopping at the last minute. She couldn't blame her. She wouldn't want to open that door either. In fact, she wasn't sure she wanted Sami to.

It kept running through her mind. Sami deserved to know. She had to tell her sister the truth. It was the only option. But the fact that it was the right thing to do didn't make hurting her sister, even indirectly, any easier.

"You don't have to do this. I just wanted to tell you what I knew, Sami. You shouldn't have to witness it."

"I told you, it isn't true. I can prove it."

With a determined nod of her head, Sami gripped the handle firmly and turned it. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. The thudding of her heart was blocking out almost everything else, even though she had nothing to be nervous about she silently reassured herself.

The door seemed to open in slow motion. Damn motels and their ominous doors. All that creaking. What were they trying to do to her?

So what if there were two people in the bed that she could see from the doorway, that didn't mean it was Lucas. She took a few unsteady steps into the room and as the male figure in the bed became clearer her footsteps died away.

Sami couldn't breathe. She closed her eyes tightly for a minute until she saw stars behind her lids. She was hallucinating, that was all. Gradually she opened her eyes again certain that the image in front of her would change. It didn't.

It was incomprehensible to her. She simply could not wrap her mind around it, even as she saw right in front of her eyes. Lucas was in bed with another woman and they were very naked. She could feel a scream of complete despair forcing its way to her lips, but she forced it down. The pain was overwhelming.

Her fingernails were digging into her palms, but she felt numb. How could Lucas of all people do this? He said that he lov… no, she wouldn't think of that. Instead, she pushed the all-consuming heartbreak away and brought out an emotion that hid her vulnerability and gave her power. Anger.

Belle was surprised when Sami's voice rang through the silent room. It wasn't that she had spoken, but the calm voice she used. She had expected a flood of tears and a lot of yelling, but she wasn't that naïve. This was the foreboding calm of the sea before the deadly storm.

"Get up," Sami didn't have a plan, but improv was really her specialty.

Lucas heard a voice calling to him through the fog of his mind. Desperately, he struggled to follow the dulcet tones pulling him into the world. He knew that voice and it sounded furious.

He groaned as he was dragged further into consciousness as the warm body moved away from him, "Sami?"

"Yup, that's me. You know, you're fiancée. The woman who just found you in bed with another woman."

Was it strange that her body was so much closer than her voice?

He finally managed to reach full awareness, only to open his eyes to more confusion. There was a strange woman in bed with him and Sami was standing halfway into the room with fire in her eyes and pain in every other aspect of her being. Belle was standing, frozen in terror, at the door looking like she was about to burst into terrified tears. This wasn't right. Who the hell was this woman?

It felt like he should know, but his head wouldn't clear enough for him to think, "What the hell is going on here?"

"I think I should be the one asking that question."

"Sami," it was barely a whisper as he finally registered the situation semi-clearly. She was in her fighting stance, but he could see through it, even in his daze. She was in pain, and somehow he had caused it, "I… I don't… I mean... I don't know how this happened."

"I could explain the basics, I guess. You obviously felt the need for a- fling. Maybe you needed to sleep with a few more whores before you settled down. You know, before our wedding. The one that's tomorrow, or technically it's today."

As hard as she fought against it, she knew the tears were lying in wait. It was only a matter of time and she would _not_ breakdown in front of him.

"No, no, that's not it. That can't be it. I don't… I don't rememb…"

"If you really think I'm going to believe that crap, then…" she trailed off to let the threat hang in the air. She wasn't certain that she knew how to end it.

"You don't understand. I didn't sleep with her. I know I didn't," Lucas massaged his temple as if it would invoke the memory he was searching for.

"There's no point in lying to the poor girl, baby," Lea jumped into the conversation, artfully stroking his muscled arm.

He pulled away quickly, "Don't touch me."

"You didn't seem to mind a couple hours ago. In fact, you seemed to enjoy it. A lot." She made certain to keep eye contact with this Sami woman as she said it.

She couldn't take this. No, Sami had to get out of there before she heard anymore. It was too much. She started backing away from the scene unfolding before her, not truly registering her surroundings. She almost tripped on a tangle of clothes on the floor and bumped into a chair.

He saw her starting to recede into the shadows of the room. She was breathing heavily and moving without any clear direction. She was walking away from him. With a lurch of his heart, Lucas realized exactly what that meant. If she walked away, them she'd be gone. Possibly forever.

He got up without thinking about his nakedness or how fast Sami would move away from him, "Don't… I… I need you."

His brain wasn't functioning properly and he couldn't string together a real defense. All he knew was that he could not let her leave him. He couldn't let either one of them go through this pain.

"You need me? How dare you even speak a sentence like that? You cheated on me! With some whore the night before our wedding. You… you swore you wouldn't do anything to hurt me and you did the worst thing I can imagine. Did you even think about Will before you did this? Doesn't he matter at all?"

It was becoming almost impossible to fight against the tears now and she knew she couldn't stay much longer.

Oh, God, what was happening? He couldn't understand how this came about. There was no explanation and he couldn't find the words to explain that to Sami. Will… it was too much to think about.

Frantically he reached for her again, but she swiftly sidestepped him, "Don't fucking touch me. I… I can't even look at you."

"Sami," but he was too late and she had fled the room before he could break though the thought process his brain was having trouble with. She had left.

………………………………...

Sami didn't even look at Belle, or anyone else, she just rushed out of the room before he could see her cry. She made it all the way to the parking lot before the torrent of tears started. It was too much. The loss of every dream she had allowed herself to believe in. The loss of the only love she had ever believed would last. The thought of what it would do to her son. She couldn't hold back any longer.

Belle found her sister looking lost and exhausted in the parking lot. Her gut twisting, heart-wrenching sobs were hard to miss and without a word she pulled her into a comforting hug. It didn't make up for what had happened, but it was all she could offer.


	5. Fix It

**I really don't understand how I can write something that hurts my favorite characters so much. It's so weird because I can't even read fics about my favorite couples recovering from the verge of a divorce or anything like that. I have a sick, love-hate relationship with angst which makes this story hard to explain. Just know that things will start to turn around soon.**

Lucas had been pacing the same spot in his apartment for hours, or that's what it felt like. It was a pretty decent place to tread, there was enough room for him to walk without thinking about bumping into anything, but not enough to risk getting off course. All in all, it was a prime pacing position. Any realtor would have said so.

His head had cleared enough for him to actually think about the situation at hand. The facts were as follows: he had been talking with his mother, that woman had come up to them, and he had definitely not consumed anything alcoholic. Everything else after that was a blur, except for Sami finding him. That was painfully clear.

He knew what logic was telling him, but there was no way he could accept that. The thought that his mother could… no, it was someone else. He had been set up, that was definite. He had yet to find out who had done it, though. Of course that girl had been no help.

_Lucas stared at the doorway that Sami had ran from, followed shortly by Belle. His first instinct was to run after them, Sami looked heartbroken and she needed him, but it suddenly became quite clear to him that he was naked. In a room with a strange woman he dimly recalled._

_He pulled on his boxers as quickly as he could, followed by the rest of his clothing while the woman let out a sigh of disappointment. His head was killing him and it was hard to handle standing up, but he managed a glare that would rival Sami's._

_This woman had done something to him and he had to find out what. Like a predator on the prowl for his first kill, Lucas came towards her with an angry stride. His head was still swimming, but no one would have been able to tell by looking at him._

"_What did you do to me?"_

"_I can't believe you don't remember all the nasty little things we did to each other. I'm hurt."_

_She apparently thought being coy was funny, but she was painfully mistaken. She attempted what he thought was supposed to be an alluring expression, but it only served to increase his fury._

"_Look, I know I didn't have sex with you, so just cut the bullshit. It's not possible. So, I'll ask again, what did you do to me?"_

"_I know you were kind of drunk when we were doing it, but you don't have to pretend it didn't happen. The whiney blonde isn't here anymore."_

"_What did you do, and why did you do it? Who put you up to this?"_

"_No one had to put me up to sleeping with a hot guy."_

"_Tell me the truth, damn it!"_

"_Sorry, honey, but that is the truth."_

_Seeing that even attempting a bid for sympathy from this thing in front of him would be useless, Lucas exited the room to find another way to prove what he knew without a doubt. He did not cheat on Sami._

He knew what he had to do, but in all honesty, he was scared. He knew he hadn't done it and, deep down, he knew that Sami didn't believe he was capable of betraying her, but what she had seen would be hard for her to get past.

It wasn't fair. They had finally found their way back to each other after so many long years. They had been hours away from becoming a married couple, and now there was a possibility that might never happen. Vaguely he wondered if anyone else knew what had happened.

It was depressing to know that the world was going on right now as if nothing life-altering had occurred. Father Jansen was probably preparing to perform the ceremony and their families were looking forward to a wedding, the best kind of gathering. And here he was, pacing his living room, trying to find a way to convince Sami that he could be trusted.

Finally, Lucas took a deep breath and prepared to confront her.

………………………………...

Sami sat on her couch staring vacantly out into nothing. That's what her life was now, nothing. She had nothing to look forward to, nothing to hope for, really there was nothing at all.

It was hard to wrap her mind around the facts. She had lost everything, and this time it hadn't even been her fault. Or maybe it had. She was nowhere near as experienced in bed as Lucas perhaps he had gotten bored. Maybe she hadn't been attentive enough. Maybe she had driven him away.

She had run out of tears hours ago, now all that was left was nothing. She was numb, the walls were back up and there was no way they were coming down. It was strange to feel so empty again; she hadn't felt like this in a very long time. She hadn't missed it.

Belle had offered to stay with her for a while, but Sami didn't want her pity. Yes, Belle wanted to help her big sister through a crisis, but what she didn't realize was that if she had stayed, it would have only made Sami feel more pathetic. She wasn't going to be that woman.

The soft knock on the door echoed through the apartment. It was odd that the semi-darkness made the place seem bigger. She kept her mind on her detached thoughts as a way to avoid the outside world. If she didn't get involved then the problems might float away on their own. Maybe light somehow added mass or weight or something to a room. Was that some scientific thought? She had never liked science.

The faint knocking stopped and for a brief moment she allowed herself the fantasy of security. She was alone in the quiet where no one else existed, and then she heard the key turn in the lock. He was coming in, and in the process, he was destroying the slight comfort she got from the empty apartment. Just like he destroyed all of her dreams.

Lucas entered the dim apartment warily. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to be there or not. It might be simpler to write a note. No, no that was the coward's way. He had come too far to turn back now.

He could make out her figure on the couch. She was sitting on the far end, huddled in a reassuring ball. Her arms were locked around her knees and her head rested on top of them. She stared blankly in front of her, not even turning to face him.

"Sami…" his voice trailed off in a whisper. The shadows played over her face and about the room. Her golden hair shone with an ephemeral light. A normal voice would have shattered the delicate illusion that protected her from the outside world.

"Go away, Lucas."

Her voice held no emotion. It was as if she were trying to remove herself from everything.

"You need to let me explain," he tried to force his voice to continue, but it was lodged in his throat. His brain was working against him, waiting for her permission to continue.

She looked at him for the first time since he had entered and the steady gaze was more than he could take. He looked away in shame. Her voice held more force than he would have thought her capable of judging from her state, "Go away, Lucas. Go home before I say something I'll regret."

He swallowed roughly, trying to force his now dry throat to respond. His voice was strained and it didn't sound like himself when it came out, "You have to know what…"

"Go. It's the least you could do for me."

She couldn't believe how much his presence hurt. It was physically painful to know what she knew and be in the same room with him. It was a dull aching roar in pulling at her insides. There was a horrible beast trying to rip her apart from the inside out.

The worst part was that she wanted to throw herself in his arms. Sami felt the desperate longing for the comfort only his arms could bring, but she couldn't accept it. Not now, when he had been the one to cause this pain. God, "pain" didn't seem strong enough to describe what she was feeling.

Finally, he understood what was happening. She was on the verge of breaking down and, even though he would cut off his right arm to be given the chance, she would not accept what he wanted to give. It was too soon for Lucas to plead his case, let alone offer solace.

"Okay, I'll be back later," he waited a second for her to respond, but was forthcoming, "I love you, Sami. Just, please remember that."

The door shut delicately behind him almost drowning out her whisper, "Liar."

She had truly believed that her tear ducts had dried out hours ago, but apparently she was wrong. She lay her head back onto her knees and let her anguish flow.

………………………………...

Lucas leaned against the door as if his legs would give way. If he concentrated hard enough he could hear the muted sobbing through the wooden door. What he wouldn't give to be able to go in there and ease her sorrow. Holding her would certainly ease his.

She needed some time before he could tell her everything. Surely, she would see the truth when he laid it out for her. She had to, it was the only hope he had.

It was daylight now. The time on his watch made him realize that now would have been the time when he would have begun preparing for his wedding. That obviously wasn't going to happen today. Poor, Will would…

He had to tell Will. He couldn't put that on Sami's shoulders right now. Wearily, Lucas heaved a pained sigh. If only time would stop for a little while.

……………………………….

He entered the pub as if walking to his death sentence. He still didn't know what to tell his son. The whole story would be too much for a twelve-year-old boy, wouldn't it? But if he didn't hear the everything from him, then the Salem gossipmongers would undoubtedly let it slip in Will's presence. Sordid, fake details and all.

He greeted Shawn at the door to the above apartments briefly, before continuing on down the hall to Sami's old bedroom. Will always stayed in her old room, Lucas guessed that it made him feel connected to her childhood.

He knocked quickly before entering the room. His son's joy at seeing him stabbed at his heart like a knife. The room itself was overpowering him. It still held remnants of her presence, claiming the room like a fingerprint. He could almost see her teenage self sprawled on the bed working on her homework. If it was math it was more than likely that she'd call him for some help. Numbers were the only things he did better than her.

Will watched with growing dread as his dad looked around the room forlornly. Something was wrong, yet again. If only something could work out for his family, for once, "What're you doing here, Dad?"

Lucas broke out of his mental wanderings and looked at his boy for a long time. He took a deep breath and then closed the bedroom door firmly. He sat on the small, unmade bed and patted the space beside him, "We need to talk, buddy."

He approached his father warily and sat next to him, "Something bad happened didn't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

Will looked up at him with haunted eyes and he felt overwhelming misery wash over him as comprehension filled his only child's eyes. He didn't even have to say the words.

"You're not getting married."

Will felt every dream he'd ever dreamt and every wish he'd ever secretly wished slip away at the conformation in his father's face. A heretofore-unacknowledged resentment bubbled to the surface in his mind. Why couldn't parents actually be the mature ones for once?

"What did she do?"

Lucas grabbed Will's hands firmly as he looked into his son's eyes. The shock he felt couldn't have been more obvious.

"Your mother didn't do anything. This is not her fault, if anything the blame is completely on me. She saw something that made her think that I betrayed her, Will. It was not her fault."

"I just, I don't get it, Dad. You promised we would be a family."

Despite the fact that only babies cried at his age Will felt tears threatening to fall. Everything had been inches within his grasp and now it was being pulled. It wasn't fair.

Lucas pulled his son into his arms and Will allowed him to offer him the comfort he couldn't give Sami. He pressed his cheek against his son's hair and held him tightly.

"We were always a family, buddy. Even before your mom and I realized what you always knew. I'll find a way to fix this. I won't give up, Will. Nothing can stop me. I'll find a way."


	6. Upswing

"Trust me, baby, you're better off without her. It's lucky you got out when you did."

It was mid-afternoon on what should have been the first day of his honeymoon, yet here he sat letting the anger and resentment build. By now word had spread throughout Salem of what had stopped this wedding short. Many still found it incomprehensible that Sami was not the one at fault.

Except in Kate Roberts's opinion, because apparently he was not capable of doing wrong. Lucas rubbed the back of his neck as the tension continued spreading. The more his mother went on with her Sami-ranting, the harder he was finding it to believe that she wasn't responsible for this mess.

But, that was ridiculous, right? She had been behind the wedding as much as she could be, considering who she was. She definitely wouldn't hurt him that way. And, if nothing else, she would have made Sami come off as the bad guy in any scheme she had.

Oh, how he wished she would just leave. This situation was tearing his heart out, as it was, especially knowing that everything was a set-up. His mother was not helping him at all. He needed a plan and there was no way he could ask her for help.

Even before he had to formulate a plan Lucas had to get Sami to listen to the facts, as he knew them, a feat he still had not accomplished. First things first, though, his mom had to leave.

………………………………...

"Poor, Samantha, she has lost the other half of her soul. If it is not repaired soon, her destiny will be forever altered."

"Please, Mom, leave the psychic babble for another time. She probably drove Lucas to it. He deserves better than that shrew."

"Lexie, darling, things are not always as they seem."

Sami tried to sink further into her seat as she caught yet another snippet of a conversation about her life. Lexie and Celeste were talking about her. Over in the corner Mimi and Rex could be seen glancing her way every couple minutes. Everyone else seemed to be staring.

Why was her pathetic life so interesting?

She'd lost another man, which was nothing new. At least this time it hadn't been in front of everyone in the middle of the ceremony. That was always the worst. So what? She had been disappointed again. It was no bigger than the other incidents.

Slowly, Sami deflated in her seat. She couldn't even convince herself of that. The only thing keeping her from becoming a huddled mass of tears on the floor was the fact that Will was upstairs and she needed to be strong for him.

Grandpa Shawn brought a steaming bowl of chowder over to her corner table. It wasn't doing a very good of hiding her, which is why she chose it in the first place, but what could she do?

She wanted to leave, but Will was supposed to meet her in a few minutes.

But, by the apologetic look on her grandfather's face she knew he wasn't ready to come down. Yesterday she had let him stay with Grandpa Shawn because she wasn't ready to face her son's questions. Now it seemed he wasn't ready to face the world.

"He's not coming, is he?"

"The poor lad finally fell asleep an hour ago. I don't have it in me heart to wake him."

Sami offered him a weak smile, "I understand. God knows I wish I could fall asleep for a few hours."

"I've some of me pub's famous chowder. Sit for a spell, darlin'."

"No thanks, Grandpa. I think I'm just going to go home."

She grabbed her purse and made her way out the door. The whispering started again as soon as the patrons of the pub discerned the defeated set of her shoulders.

---------------------------------------------

He was in front of her door when she got there. Just sitting against it waiting for her as if he had all the time in the world. With a lurch of her heart, she saw how drawn and pale Lucas looked. It made her want to put... no, she wouldn't think like that anymore.

"Lucas," she paused for a second, searching for the best way to continue before finally deciding to avoid the situation for as long as possible, "Could you get up? I need to get to my door."

He got up slowly, cracking his back as he stood, "I hope you realize I'm not leaving."

Sami studied him for a second before responding dryly, "I guess that would be too much to ask for."

She unlocked the door and, sure enough, he came in right behind her.

"Can't you even give me a chance to explain?"

"You mean explain why you cheated on me."

Lucas cringed for a second. It was understandable for her to doubt him right now, but it stung all the same, "I didn't cheat on you."

"Do you really expect me to buy that?"

Her matter of fact tone belied the outrage of her posture.

"Just listen to me. That's all I'm asking."

He had been trying to put together a speech that covered everything for hours, but his progress had amounted to next to nothing. As he saw Sami weakening, the little bit he did have planned flew out of his head completely.

Finally, she sat down on a chair, instead of the couch, making it clear that she would not allow any physical contact at all, "You've got my attention."

"Okay... alright... okay,"

Reluctantly she let a small smirk pass her lips at his nervous rambling. It was too hard not noticing how cute he was, "You might want to try another word."

"Right. I guess I should start at... well, at the beginning. My mom called me the other night to keep her company. She said she was missing Roman, so I went. We talked about nothing and we got drinks. I had a club soda, Sami. There was nothing alcoholic about my drink.

'The girl who was in the room was some model Mom knew and they just talked for a few minutes. My head was feeling weird, and then that's it. I don't remember anything past that point. I'll swear to that on a stack of bibles if I have to."

Sami looked at him with an unwavering gaze as he waited for a response. His body language was showing his nerves, but his voice was firm and steady. She didn't know which one to believe.

"So... you want me to believe what exactly? That your mom set you up?"

"I'm not saying it was my mom, I just know that nothing happened."

"And based on this alone, I'm supposed to take you back?"

"Look, I know this isn't enough to prove that I didn't cheat, but there has to be something. We could look together. All I need is for you to be open to what I'm telling you. I need you to trust me, just a little bit."

Damn it, he had almost gotten through to her. It was just a breathaway from happening. He could see her starting to believe him, but he had to use that word. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Trust you? You want me to trust you. I did that already and all I got out of it was another broken heart. Leave. Now, I mean it."

She couldn't believe she had almost been pulled in. He had just looked so... sorry. No one could pull off the tortured puppy dog look quite like Lucas. He seemed to believe so much. And the look he gave her as he walked out the door. It wasn't fair. She should not be physically aching to comfort him!

If anyone was going to stop the wedding it was obvious they would have set her up, not him. Sami was always the evil doer; there was no reason for anyone to change that now.

But, there was no way anyone would think that Lucas would be the one to be set up. By his mother no less. That could mean that everything he said was true.

Could she risk not knowing? Why did this have to be so confusing?

---------------------------------------------------------

He sat in the dark of his apartment letting the mistakes he made in that one conversation run over and over. How did he always manage to screw things up?

There had to be a way to get around this. He just had to think. He could do that, Lucas was good at thinking. Sometimes he was too good at it.

He had already come up with a sketchy plan that he wanted to use with Sami's help, but she probably wouldn't...

A soft knock on the door blew all his thoughts away. He knew that knock. It was Sami's knock.

She came in with her eyes downcast, but her stride was determined. She sat on the coffee table across from him without meeting his eyes.

"I'm not saying I believe you, or that this changes anything. I just... I don't want to find out that you were telling the truth months from now and know that I gave up for no reason," she lifted her head to meet his slowly, "I want to know the truth."

Lucas felt the crazy hope building inside of him. All he needed was a little time and they would get back on the right track. No problem.

**Just to make this clear, I'm not trying to say that I think Sami would have been more understanding than Lucas was. This is the way I would have wanted the storyline to go, no matter who was set up.**


	7. Trying

**I'm really tired and I've been a little sick for a while. Blame any mistakes on me not editing; I'll fix them later. The drug in this story is unnamed for a reason, mostly because it fits plot purposes and I made it up. Anyway, if you were planning on asking me what it was then I'd have to worry. I don't have the energy to worry, sorry.**

"Really? You'll do this?"

He felt the smile spread before he could stop it. The heavy darkness that was weighing down his heart suddenly felt much lighter. She wanted the truth. She didn't want to give up. Suddenly a million possibilities had opened to him.

Sami reluctantly let a little smile pass her lips. No one had ever been so grateful to have her in their life, "Well, you know, it would be more productive than a couple weeks of self-pity."

Lucas moved up in his seat slightly, unconsciously grabbing her hands, "We could always wallow in self-pity together."

"Let's not get too carried away." She pulled her hands away softly, as if to remind him that all was not well yet.

He took in a deep breath to steel himself against her gentle reprimand. Things weren't quite back to normal, but they would be soon.

Sami looked down at her hands for a second, wondering if she had just ruined a moment. How was she supposed to know, anyway? They had so many and it was hard to tell sometimes. She needed to break the awkward silence she had caused; it was making her incredibly uncomfortable.

"So, uh, do you have a plan, or something?"

"Well, its not so much a plan as some general ideas. My first thought was the girl. We could ask her some questions. Of course I don't think I know her name, so that would be…"

He didn't even know her name. It was the only factshe'd absorbed. He'd thrown everything they had to chance and he didn't even know her name. What if he was lying now? Could she handle giving herself hope?

Lucas could see her body tense the second he made what had to be his millionth mistake of the day, damn it. He really wasn't good at this.

"But, I knew that might be uncomfortable so I stopped thinking about that plan. So, I don't exactly know what to do. Any thoughts?"

Sami was pulled out of her doubts by his request. She could do this. This is what she did. She planned and she schemed and she came up with ways to get what she wanted. They wanted to find out the truth, so the obvious thing to do was find a way to make that happen.

It was almost like being in school again. The teacher would give her a problem and immediately her mind would start thinking of ways to get the answer. That was why she was always one of the best students in her class. This was no different, just much more personal.

"Hmm, well, what exactly do you think happened? I mean, like, do you think someone slipped you something or you got knocked out?"

"I don't know. It could be any of that, but there had to be something. Do you think a drug might still be in my system?"

"I have no idea, but it's a start."

The glint in her eye as she made a plan was always something he'd half-admired without knowing why. As friends he could claim that he respected the crazy way her mind worked, but today Lucas came to a realization. It was hot. After this was over they'd have to scheme together more often.

"So, we're off to the hospital?"

"I guess it's the only place to find out what happened to you."

………………………………...

"I can't believe it left my system so fast."

Lucas practically ripped the door off the hinges as they entered his apartment. It was only the fact that Sami was behind him that kept him from slamming it shut. Everything could have been resolved so easily if he had thought of this earlier.

"It's only been a couple days. Obviously, whoever did this didn't want to be traced," without thinking she rubbed his arm in comfort, "We just need a new idea."

It took all of his strength to keep from looking at the way she was touching him in a noticeable way. It was the first time she'd initiated any contact between them in what felt like years. If he looked, then he would snap and try something she wasn't ready for.

It felt amazing to have her touch him again. His mind could not find the words to connect the feeling to his brain to tell him what it was. The only thing he could come up with was this was everything he ever needed in his life.

He didn't mean to catch her eye in such a meaningful way, but he sought out her blue gaze and it kind of happened on its own. Their eyes were locked and he was sure that she could see every thought in his head.

Sami looked away uncomfortably and discreetly tried to take her hand away. Touching was not allowed. Touching would lead to things she was not letting herself think about. Touching was dangerous.

"We should start thinking."

"Yeah, thinking. That'd be a good idea."

"Whoever did this had to have made a mistake somewhere."

"What would we have done if this had been our plan?"

"I actually did this once. With you and Carrie, it got Austin got really upset. I can't remember how I got caught, though."

"I remember that. The details are kind of fuzzy. I guess after the first couple times, everything kind of runs together," Lucas paused for a second to let his mind run, "There had to have been other people at the Jetway that night."

"That's pretty much unavoidable in a bar."

"Someone must have seen something. The bartender or a waitress."

She nodded her head in concentration, "We could talk to the guy at the desk. He told me that you didn't rent the room, so the person behind this must have done it."

"It's worth a shot," he studied her for a second as she concentrated, "You've been really behind this since you came over."

Sami tried to avoid his eyes completely this time, they were dangerous, "I'm just going at this like I really believed it."

"So, you don't?" He tried to hide his disappointment as best he could.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "I don't know what to believe, Lucas. Just know that if this is some huge lie, then this is our last chance. Maybe we could have gotten past you sleeping with some other woman, in time, but this would be too much."

"I swear I don't believe anything happened. I would never hurt you."

"Okay, then let's go to the Jetway."

It was better to keep from discussing this when there were much more productive things to be doing.


	8. So Close

"Anything?"

Sami landed on the chair across from him with a dejected plop. They'd been in the bar of the Jetway Inn for at least an hour and so far there had been no clues, whatsoever.

"Nothing. The waitresses couldn't tell me from Adam, or anyone else for that matter."

"Damn. The bartender didn't see anything and it's a different guy at the front desk tonight."

She rested her cheek in the palm of her hand while leaning on the tabletop. With her face at a slight angle it felt like she was looking _inside_ of him, instead of _at_ him. Lucas returned her gaze steadily, wondering in the back of his head if this was some sort of test.

She wasn't sure how she got lost in staring at him. It started out as a search for some showing of emotion. He was incredibly tense and in a demented way it made her feel better. He truly believed that someone had set him up.

Either that or he was building some elaborate lie for God only knew what reason. She couldn't find any reason for him to lie. He'd already been caught, if he was, in fact, cheating on her and there was no way around that. This search was becoming bigger every second and they were at a loss for clues.

His unwaveringly solid stare was more comforting than she could have counted on. His eyes were the same deep brown they'd always been, his skin was regaining its healthy glow, and, she was relieved to acknowledge, he was the same man he'd always been. He was still Lucas and she was still Sami and that was what this was really about.

And then she realized that they'd been staring at each other for the better part of five minutes without saying a word. Thinking quickly, she tried to cover her train of thought, "Have you thought of anything?"

"Was I supposed to be thinking?" The comment slipped out of his mouth before he'd realized it. It was just too easy to loose himself in examining each one of her perfectly imperfect features.

She scrunched her nose in exasperation he knew she didn't feel, "Of course, you were supposed to be thinking. I can't do this by myself."

She was saying she needed him in a roundabout way and that thought spurred Lucas into action, as always, "I just meant that I've already thought of a solution."

Her eyebrows rose in obvious disbelief, "Well, please, enlighten me."

He rubbed the back of his neck in spite of himself, a nervous habit he'd had for years, and looked around discreetly for some sort of sign. Any kind of intervention, divine or otherwise, would have been welcome.

It hit him as suddenly as the impact from a car crash. It jolted into his system like a lightning rod bringing him to life. He had been staring at the answer on and off since he had sat down to wait for Sami. The security camera.

The inconspicuous black rectangle above the bar that captured all of the daily happenings. Video was much more reliable than word of mouth. Of course, he hadn't even considered the possibility, but now that it was smack dab in front of him, he didn't know how he could have missed it.

She caught the self-reproaching glimmer of a smirk before he knew that it was forming on his face. She knew all of his facial expressions and she could tell that he'd discovered something he thought he should have known. He caught her eye was a rakish grin and her heart almost stopped.

"The security tapes."

………………………………...

She grabbed his arm much in the way that a horror movie heroine would grab her white knight to protect her. There could be no way that he could blame her, because she doubted that many people traversed these hallways. It was dark and creepy and if she were watching this movie she'd be nervous for the characters.

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Lucas offered her another devastating smile, "Don't worry. This is where the security guys work. See the sign."

She could see the dingy sign hanging on the wall with an arrow pointing further down the hallway. What else could she have expected, though? The Jetway wasn't what anyone would call a high quality place.

They entered the security area and the first thing Sami's eye was drawn to was the guy watching the TV's. He was pale and unhealthy looking, but it went further than physical well-being. He looked like he'd had a miserable life and it could only get worse.

Lucas squeezed her hand gently and lowered his voice to say, "Why don't you stay here? I'll talk to him."

He didn't give her a chance to argue before he made his way over to the man whose nametag said Steve. He walked over as casually as possible before calling for the man's attention.

"Hey, uh, I was wondering if you could answer a question or two for me?"

Steve looked him over for a second and Lucas felt distinctly uncomfortable, "What about?"

"Were you, by any chance, the guy on duty here about three days ago?"

"Nah, man. Wasn't me. I just got back from vacation."

He felt slightly deflated, but tried to hide this fact from Sami. He could feel her watching intently, ready to protect him if things went wrong. That thought sent a little thrill down his spine, but he ignored it.

"Is there any way that you could let me see those tapes? You do save them, right?"

"Are you from the insurance company? Of course we save them, man, but there's no way in hell that I can let just anyone see them."

"I'm not trying to get you in trouble, I swear. It's very important that I get thetape from the bar. You have no idea how much I have riding on this."

Something in his desperation touched a cord in the back of Steve's memory. Something he didn't want to remember, "I doubt anything _that_ important happened at the Jetway."

Lucas let out a perturbed sigh and searched for a way to communicate the importance of the situation, "Do you see that woman over there?"

Steve glanced at the pretty blonde before nodding imperceptibly.

"Well, three days ago we were supposed to get married, but because of something that happened here, it didn't happen. She's the love of my life and I don't know how I can prove that to her if I don't get that tape. Haven't you ever been in love?"

A deeply receded memory was floating to the surface. Honey brown hair and laughter like the tinkling of bells. Steve could see her in his mind's eye, but she was completely out of his reach now. So far gone that all he had left were his bittersweet memories.

"Is she really that important to you?"

"She and our son are the most important people in the world to me."

"There's a kid?"

Even before the guy replied in the affirmative, he knew that he was going to help the young couple. What he wouldn't give to have had someone on his side years ago.

"You know, I have my dinner break in about an hour. It's possible that I went to get something to eat and accidentally left the tape out in the open. Of course if anyone were to be caught stealing the tapes it wouldn't be pretty."

Lucas fought off a smile, "Things could get ugly."

"The supply room is hardly ever used, though. I bet someone could hide in there, no problem."

"Well, thanks anyway. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Good luck," the guy was halfway down the hall when Steve remembered an important little fact, "Just don't shut the door completely." He tried to yell it to them, but he wasn't sure they'd caught the message.

………………………………...

Lucas led Sami down the hallway without stopping, although she was sure that the security guy had been trying to tell them something, "Where are we going?"

"A supply closet. He's going to leave the security tapes out for us to grab, but we've got to hide until his dinner break."

Finally having found the correct place, they went in and closed the door without thought.

"So, we're stuck in a closet for an hour? That's just terrific."

"Don't be such a downer. We're going to get the truth. Think of that, until it's time."


	9. Close Encounters

Sami leaned her head back against the wall she was up against on in utter boredom, "How much longer do we have to stay cooped up in here?"

Lucas laughed at her lightly before checking his watch, "We've only been in here for ten minutes. Relax."

He was sitting comfortably on some old table or shelf or something. She wasn't really paying attention to that. All she knew was that she absolutely hated the fact that he was so relaxed in every single situation. And he looked good doing it.

"Ugh, whatever. We're stuck in here with no form of entertainment, Lucas, I think I'm justified in being a little antsy."

"Ooooh, it's entertainment you're looking for. Now, I could be wrong, but I think there are a few ways to provide what you're looking for. Maybe, and this is only a suggestion, but maybe we could try a little thing called having a conversation. What do you think, is that possible?"

Sami just rolled her eyes and sighed a little louder, "What, do you want to talk about the weather? I think we're past the point of trivial conversation. We're in the middle of a plan that is taking an agonizingly long time to make any difference. I don't think we could find a safe topic."

Truth was that she was tired of exhausting, soul-baring conversations, which such an enclosed space as this would undoubtedly bring about. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the distance between Lucas and herself that was needed to keep safe. But, on second thought, maybe she was pushing a little too hard because he had the look that said he didn't mind pushing back.

With deceptive carelessness he rose from his perch on the table-shelf thing. With a look that vaguely brought to mind a predator stalking its prey, he continued to walk towards her. Sami tried to take a discreet step back, only to be reminded that she was already against the wall. He continued to come closer until she could just barely catch his distinctly Lucas smell.

"You know, it wasn't even a week ago that we were completely, insanely in love with each other. We would have killed for an hour _alone_ in closet," he dared to come a bit closer, until he was just barely touching the front of her body with his own, "What do you say, Sami, what to make the most of our time?"

He knew he was pushing dangerous territory. She still wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't cheated on her and it probably wouldn't be the best idea to push for something they weren't ready for. Except he was ready. He was extremely ready to get past the drama and return to his loving relationship. Every aspect of it.

He could tell she was seconds away from giving in to the tension he _knew_ that she felt, too. So, as anyone could imagine, it came as a complete shock to him when the panic settled in her eyes seconds before she pushed him none too gently away while side stepping in the other direction.

He caught his balance easily, but the next part happened too quickly for him to comprehend. While Sami attempted to step to the side she bumped into a pile of junk, which sent box, already precariously situated at the top of the pile, crashing down. With a shriek, she allowed him to pull her away from the danger and the sound of shattering glass.

With a racing heart, he lifted Sami's face anxiously to inspect her for any sign of damage, "Are you okay?"

She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek, "I'm fine. What about you?"

"No harm done," hearing the whistle of wind Lucas looked over her head, "It looks like we broke a window, though."

She turned around to see for herself, not at all minding the fact that she was still within the circle of his arms, "At least it's not snowing."

He laughed and she could feel the rumble of his chest behind her, "Yup, it's only February. As long as it's not snowing, we have no problem. We'll keep each other warm, right?"

With another put upon sigh she broke free from his embrace, "I think we'll be fine for the half an hour we've got left in here."

"Actually, we've got about thirty five minutes. Or, if we want to be really specific, thirty five minutes and fifty eight seconds."

Her only response was yet another eye roll.

………………………………...

The aforementioned thirty-five minutes and fifty-eight seconds passed without any major event. Lucas attempted to charm and entertain Sami by dropping half-joking innuendos and she desperately tried to keep from letting him make any progress. She couldn't do that until she was sure that he was telling the truth, although she was already more than half convinced.

When he finally announced that time was up, she eagerly went for the door. Really, she should have known that she was being set up for a disappointment because whenever she looked forward to an event, it inevitably failed her. It was as much an undisputed rule of science as the laws of gravity.What goes up must come down and so forth.

It took a good five tugs or so before she could allow the fact that the door wouldn't open to be true. When she announced this to her companion, he took it upon his masculine self to give it a try. The result was the same; they were stuck.

Completely ready to find someone to blame Sami circled in on the easiest target. Slapping his shoulder in annoyance she exclaimed, "_Now_ look what you've done! I knew that security guy was trying to tell us something."

"Okay, maybe you had something there when you told me to wait, but in my defense…"

"Save it, Lucas. It doesn't matter."

Giving in to defeat for now, she lowered herself to the floor and leaned her back against the closed door. After a second he joined her.

"There's always the possibility that Steve will realize we didn't get the tapes and come looking for us."

"Steve?"

"That was the guy's name. I saw it on his tag, and he seemed like a nice guy. I'm sure we'll get out of here soon."

"Yeah," she sounded more defeated than he knew she wanted to appear.

A few minutes passed in silence only disturbed by the howling of night wind.

Finally, Sami couldn't hold in her complaint any longer, "I'm freezing."

Lucas gave a derisive shake of his head, "That's your own fault for leaving your coat in the car."

She let out a small pout, "I don't like carrying it around inside. It's so bulky."

She huddled herself further into a small ball, more than a little hurt from his dismissal. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that she was visibly shivering and it became clear that she thought he was trying to be mean.

Never having been able to bear seeing her in discomfort, he moved closer and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She settled herself into the embrace instinctively, before realizing what was happening.

In surprise, Sami looked up to find his warm brown eyes much closer than she had thought they were going to be. He cleared his throat nervously before managing to croak out, "Is this…uh… any better?"

She was too caught up in trying to find the perfect way to describe the look he was giving her to do more than nod. He was looking at her like she was all his hope for the world. It was amazing… and utterly terrifying.

In vain she tried to look away, but he was absolutely captivating. Lucas, finally recognizing the look in her eyes couldn't keep from pulling her to him in a tight hug. He pressed an agonizing kiss to her forehead, and then, because he couldn't not, he gently kissed both of her closed eyelids. Finally, his lips hovered once again right above hers, but, instead of pushing him away once more, she was the one to lean up and kiss him.

The fact that she kissed him, after days of skittishly restraining from any physical contact, broke whatever control he once may have had. In seconds they were on the floor in a whirlwind of lips and tongue and heat. In fact, they were so engrossed in becoming reacquainted with each other's body, the pair failed to notice the sound of the door opening.

To say the janitor had been surprised to see the storage room door closed when _everyone_ knew it stuck in the frame would be nothing compared to the shock he felt at seeing a couple making out on the floor when there were _plenty_ of available beds in the motel above.

"What the hell are you kids doing _here?"_

They pulled apart immediately to look up guiltily at the man in front of them. As he took notice of the broken window the couple rose to their feet.

"Did you break that? You better be planning on paying for it, buddy, 'cause…"

He never got to finish his threat because Lucas grabbed Sami's hand and together they ran out of the storage room. The thrill of being caught, combined with the fact that he had very nearly made love to Sami only seconds ago, gave him a speed he didn't know he possessed.

She followed him without question and they were immediately back at the surveillance desk. Blindly he grabbed the only tape on the desk and once again they were in motion.

Laughing almost hysterically with the strain of their flight and gasping for breath she had to break free from his grasp. Leaning against the wall of the lobby, Sami greedily sucked in air all the while trying not to think of what had almost occurred only minutes ago.

Meanwhile, Lucas looked at the tape in his hand as if he had never seen anything quite like it before. He looked up at her in wonder and simply stated, "We've got the tape."

Sami felt her chest constrict with a pleasure bordering on pain as she took in the genuine emotions he let show. Suddenly, it seemed possible that if, and that was a big if, but if the tape did not prove his innocence that they may very well be able to move forward anyway.


	10. Changes

**Sorry for the delay, guys. I know I usually update once a week, but last week I wasn't anywhere near a computer. Also, there was the little fact that I'm not quite sure how to end this one. I had a few events planned out that were basically the seeds of this story, but I never quite figured out the end. Now that I'm getting closer to that point it's getting harder. Not to mention how depressing Days is lately. Sorry, I'm being a real downer right now. Enjoy the newest installment.**

As they entered his apartment there was a nervous tension she didn't know how to break. Sami closed the door behind them. The sound of it seemed too loud for this moment.

"So, umm, I guess we should watch it now."

She bit her lip before responding, "Yeah."

She couldn't explain it, but there was an overwhelming feeling of panic trying to take control of her body. A little demon in her mind was whispering, "Don't let him watch it. Don't let him watch it."

She tried to ignore it as she settled onto the couch and he hung his coat up in the closet. It was only an insubstantial whisper when he walked toward her. She could almost pretend that the feeling didn't exist as he turned on the television.

But, as he bent down to pop the tape into the VCR, the little nagging doubt became a full-blown terror. Somehow she knew that if Lucas watched this tape his world would be completely different.

"Wait."

Sami was on her feet before she knew it. His wrist was in her grasp and she refused to let go. He couldn't watch this tape. Somehow it would hurt him more than words could express and she was going to protect him at all costs. They didn't _need_ the tape anyway.

"We can't watch that, Lucas."

"What're you talking about? We have to, Sami, it's the only way."

"Nothing good can come from watching that tape. Please, just trust me."

"Proving my innocence is nothing?"

"You don't need the tape. _We_ don't need it."

For a few precious seconds nothing else in the world existed to him. His hand lost its hold on the tape and he turned away from the screen to see her fully.

Slowly, she reached across the couple of inches between them and linked her tiny hand with the one he had suspended in the air between the floor and the VCR. He barely noticed the contact seeing as he was completely mesmerized by the look on her face.

"It isn't important anymore. I _believe _you. I don't care about the tape."

His hand moved up in what seemed like slow motion to tenderly cup her cheek. His voice was whisper soft, almost as if he could not believe this moment, "Really?"

She was looking at him in a way that she hadn't for days. He had only seen _the _look in unguarded moments during the past few days. When she said she'd help look for the truth, when she had kissed him in the storage room. At all other times he was never allowed to see what she was truly feeling.

But _the_ look was back now in full force. It was the look that told him that her future happiness was wrapped up in him. That she felt safest when he was around. That there was no one on earth that she would rather be with at that moment. It was _the_ look that Lucas had been craving for what felt like an eternity.

And then suddenly they were kissing and he couldn't be sure who started it. What he was sure of was the fact that this was so much more. It was more than he could have hoped for. More than she could have allowed herself to imagine. It was a tempest of emotions that couldn't be stopped.

He was also sure that this reunion would not happen on the floor. Although, in one way it seemed a fitting tribute to their start, this was more than that. More than their past. It was their future, and that was why he gently but firmly began to guide Sami from the floor to the bedroom.

………………………………...

With an affection he had never known he possessed until Sami came along, Lucas played with the soft blonde curls beside his head. He pressed a kiss to her temple and filled his eyes with the sight of her back in his arms. He wanted to pack in as many memories of this feeling as he could, not that he'd need memories anymore.

Maybe it was just the moonlight or the magic of the moment, but the afterglow had never seemed so satisfying as it did in this moment, and Sami wasn't even awake. It looked as if the day had finally exhausted her, although he would rather flatter himself and say it had been their… making up.

After taking on last deep breath to fill his senses full of Sami, he carefully disentangled himself from the sheets of the bed. She groaned for a second and Lucas thought he may have been caught, but she snuggled deeper into the pillows and all was well.

He pulled on his boxers and silently made his way into the living room. He had to know, it was a simple as that. Someone had set out to destroy his life and he had to know who that person was.

There was a person running around Salem determined to hurt his family and he had to know whom that was. In order to protect them, he had to have all the leverage he could. It would be better for Sami that way.

Sure, she was acting as if she was afraid of the truth, but he was convinced that it would be better to know. Besides, he was burning with a morbid curiosity. And maybe a little part of him wanted some revenge for the past couple days of his own personal hell.

Lucas pushed the tape into the VCR the rest of the way and settled back onto the couch. It wasn't until after the volume had been adjusted, so as not to disturb Sami, that the sense of impending doom overtook him. If he had been paying attention, he would have known that this was the part in the movie where the music swelled and everything changed.

Instead of paying heed to the elements, Lucas pushed play.

………………………….

Sami woke up expecting strong arms wrapped around her and a warm body under her cheek. What she got instead was a warm pillow under her head, cool sheets, and no Lucas. She sat up in confusion for a second before realizing where he was.

It was an instinctive knowledge more than anything. A deep-down-in-the-bones awareness that she knew to be true without question. He was watching the security tape and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She grabbed the first piece of clothing she could find, one of his shirts from a laundry pile, and moved to the door. The light murmur she could hear from the television touched her heart. He hadn't wanted to disturb her sleep. He was taking care of her even through his own turmoil.

She pushed open the bedroom door, making sure to keep the hinges from creaking, and peeked out. If she were completely honest with herself, Sami knew that the profile on the screen was exactly the one she expected to see. What surprised her more was that she wished it could have been anyone else in the world.

Cautiously she moved further into the room.

"Is that…?"

His voice was calm and distinctly un-Lucas-like, "Yup, that's my mother."


	11. Breakdown

**You all can rest assured that there will be a punishment for Kate. Jail time or ostracism or some horrible accident, I haven't decided yet, but she'll pay. I'm warning everyone here and now that there will be some bad language in this chapter. Which is understandable considering Lucas's predicament. If it bothers anyone let me know and I'll try to edit. Also, sorry it's kind of short.**

Cautiously she moved further into the room.

"Is that…?"

His voice was calm and distinctly un-Lucas-like, "Yup, that's my mother."

Without another word he hit the rewind button on remote in his hand. He'd already watched and re-watched the moment so many times he'd lost count. Each time he willed the image to change, but each time he was disappointed.

He waited a few seconds and then pressed play again. There she was. His mother, his protector, the woman that he had tried so hard to please. He had done everything to make her happy. To make her love him the best. He went to the damn Military school, he worked for Victor, he had done _everything_ for her. He had even killed for her. And it wasn't enough, it was never enough.

He was finally getting a real life. A life of his own. The one he'd been craving for years, but let pass him by because his stupid, fucking mother didn't like Sami. Sami wasn't good enough. She'd lied and hurt her _baby._

He'd tried to escape her world. He'd refused to be her "baby." He didn't fulfill her expectations, so of course the answer would be to ruin his life. Bitch. Stupid, god-damn, no good, fucking bitch.

But she was his mother. His _mother_. She was supposed to love him and want the best for him. She wasn't supposed to do this to him. It must have been something he'd done. Something was wrong with him. He hadn't been a good enough son, so she had to teach him a lesson.

"Lucas?"

Her voice was whisper, so soft, and she moved into the living room like his saving grace, looking ridiculously small in his gym shirt and so out of place in this moment, yet she fit perfectly. Her blonde hair waved around her face and her eyes were wide with an unknown fear.

He'd never wanted to put fear onto her face again, but there was no mistaking it. He was scaring her. He was scaring himself and he couldn't even bring himself to care. Let her be scared. His world was destroyed, might as well have some company.

Sami settled onto the couch next to him, not quite touching, but enough for him to feel her presence. She hesitantly reached out to take his hand, but stopped before extending her hand half-way. He was scaring her.

His posture was tense in a way that she had never seen before. A half-crazy thought that she could poke him in the shoulder and her would fall over formed in the back of her mind. His silence was overwhelming, but it was his eyes that sent tendrils of fear down her spine. His eyes were completely blank and she didn't know how to draw him out of himself.

"How long do you think it took her to plan this, huh? A month? A week? Hell, for all we know, it could have been a plan she made up on the spur of the moment. We both know she's capable of anything, right? Stupid, fucking bitch."

His voice came out of no where, but she couldn't say that she was grateful for the sound of it. He sounded cold and hard and not at all like the Lucas she had let herself get used to. It was a Lucas she hadn't seen in a long time, and frankly, she hadn't missed him.

"Maybe we should…"

"I mean, look at her. She's perfectly calm. There's no remorse on her face. It doesn't look like she's thinking about what she's doing. How many people do you think she's drugged in her life. She doesn't even seem nervous."

He moved to press rewind again and Sami swiftly intercepted. Gently, she took the remote from him and clicked off the VCR and television, "We don't need to watch that anymore."

He wrenched the channel changer none too gently from her grasp, "I'd have to disagree."

Unperturbed, she lowered his hand before he could turn everything back on, "There is no reason for you to keep torturing yourself."

"Of course there is. I should have seen it coming. I bet you did."

She tried to ignore his babbling and squeezed his hand, "I know things look bad right now, but sooner or later everything will work out."

"You've always known what she was capable of. You kept warning me and warning me and I wouldn't listen. God, I'm pathetic."

"No, Lucas…"

"I am, Sami. I'm completely and utterly pathetic. What are you doing with me, anyway? Why would you want someone so completely worthless his own mother tries to make him suffer? You deserve so much more than me. I'm nothing."

"Don't you dare say that," with a fierce protectiveness rising up in her gut Sami forced him to face her, "You are everything that is important to me, Lucas. You're strong and you're loyal and protective. You make everything seem better. I love you. _Will_ loves you. And that's not just because you're his father. He loves you for the man you are, the same reasons I love you. If your mother can't see that, then it's her loss."

He tried to look away, but her eyes seemed to be everywhere. She was willing him to hear her, to believe her. That was his Sami. Always ready to protect the people she loved, even when they weren't worth the effort.

Slowly he reached out and touched her face, "You're so good, Sami. No one's every really told you that before, have they?" he let an indulgent smile grace his features for a moment, "I can tell you actually believe what you're saying, but there's no other explanation. I've never been the son she wanted."

"Listen to me, right now, Lucas. There is _nothing_ wrong with you. It's her. It's all her. There's is something wrong with _her._ She's not right in the head. No parent that is worth anything would have done what she's done."

While his mind acknowledged the validity of her logic, his loyal heart rebelled against the negative image of his mother. Mothers were supposed to be safe havens for their children. A beautiful, wonderful woman that he could love forever and know that she would always want the best for him. This was too much. He couldn't handle it.

Desperately he pulled Sami to him. She was his only anchor and he needed to hold on to stay afloat. She was the only constant he had in a insubstantial world. Willingly she wrapped her arms around him, trying to impart her strength to him.

She held him tightly, all the while whispering soft words of comfort. Lucas buried his face in her neck and fought against the tide of emotion threatening to take him under.

She stroked his hair and whispered soothingly, "It's okay to break down, sometimes. Everything will be okay. I promise, you will always have me. Our family will survive this, like we've survived everything else. You'll be okay."

They continued this way until the sun came up.


	12. Cold

Sami looked up from setting the table as the door opened and Lucas walked in. His hair was wet from his shower and he offered her a weary smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Despite the soothing effects a shower was supposed to have, he did not look any more refreshed than when she had left him.

Taking a deep breath she smiled as brightly as she could, "Hey, you ready for breakfast? I think Will might make it home in time."

He settled into a kitchen chair, "What're we having?"

"French toast. I know I'm not the best cook in the world, but we've braved this one before. We'll just stick with maple syrup, if that's okay."

"It's fine."

He let a brief smile grace his face until Sami turned back to the stove. It was sweet that she was trying to act like everything was normal, but there was a cold ache in his body that he couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.

"Alright, let's eat before it gets cold. I guess Will can have something else if he's hungry."

She set down the food on both their plates and sat down. For the first few minutes she attempted conversation, but when Lucas failed to respond with more than one word answers, she filled the silence with idle chatter. All talkdied down a few minutes after that.

Suddenly, she wasn't as hungry as she had been when she had started the meal. Lucas was barely even pushing his French toast around his plate. Tentatively she reached across the table to cover his hand, "Are you okay?"

He met her gaze with a carefully guarded look, "I'm fine."

He looked away before she could ask any more and got up to scrape his uneaten food into the garbage before putting in the sink.

Sami bit her lip and looked down at the table, willing herself not to get upset. He had just found out that his mother had done the unforgivable; she couldn't expect him to be thinking about her feelings right now. He didn't mean to shut her out.He just had to deal with things in his own way.

She would just have to let him know that she was here if he wanted to talk about it. She could tal…

Her thoughts were interrupted as the slouched figure of her son entered the apartment, not quite disguising his wish to slam the door. He entered the room, no doubt expecting it to be empty, butshe was in no way prepared to see the wounded glare he sent his father upon noticing him.

"Why's _he _here?"

She saw the shock register on Lucas's face and knew this could get ugly.

"He's your father, why shouldn't he be here?"

"You know what he did!"

Somehow, though he couldn't explain how, Lucas snapped out of his shock, "Buddy, sit down. What's the matter?"

"I know what you did. I heard them talking about it, everyone's talking about it," stormed over to confront his father, barely able to contain his shaking, "How could you? _How_ could you cheat on Mom? You ruined _everything_!"

"William Roberts! You can't talk to your father that way. Listen to me…"

"No. How can you even look at him?"

"You will sit down and listen to me right now. You got that?"

Will flopped down on the couch, sure to let his anger continue showing. Lucas looked paler than she could ever remember seeing him before and his face was tight with pain. There was an icy, hard look to his eyes that she didn't like. Stiffly, he moved to join them in the living room.

………………………………...

"I can't believe she did that."

Will looked at him in wonder with a dash of anger that Lucas could see beginning to brew. He had hoped that he could have avoided telling Will why they were cutting Kate out of the family picture, but it seemed the gossips of Salem had made that impossible.

The thought made him tighten his fists until his nails were digging into his skin, but he could barely feel it. Not only could he have lost Sami, but Will would have been affected in the worst way imaginable. It was too much to take.

His son met his eyes reluctantly and he could tell that Will was feeling guilty for his reaction. But it wasn't Will's fault. It was _her_ fault.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Will looked at him miserably and he couldn't stand it. He moved over to the couch and put his arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

"It's okay, bud, I would have been angry, too. But we should be happy right now. Kate didn't break your mom and me up. Everything'll be fine."

"I hate her," he looked up at his father, his eyes brimming with tears, "I know I shouldn't, but I hate her."

Lucas pulled him closer in a hug, "I know, Will, I know."

………………………………...

Lucas popped a fry into his mouth unconsciously and continued reading his newspaper. The world was full of muggings, terrorists, and death. Nothing new.

Sami was out shopping or something and Will had to work with his friend on a project, which left him to amuse himself. He didn't feel up for company, but being alone made it too easy for his thoughts to prey upon him. The bustle and life of the pub seemed like the best place to dispel the darkness threatening to consume him.

Then again, being in a public place had its downside, like the one that had just sat down across from him. His mother. As soon as she sat down he felt the rage build up. Icy fire devoured his calm control and he felt dangerously close to causing a scene Sami would have been proud of.

"Hello, baby. How're you doing with everything going on? And what about Will? Oh, I'm starving, I'm so glad you're here. It seems like I've barely seen you since the night you broke up with Sami, not that that wasn't the best decision of your life. The little bitch never deserved you."

"Is that why you drugged me?"

He kept a steady, severe gaze on her face. He couldn't deny the shock that was perceptible to only the most careful observer. He was a careful observer.

"W-what?"

"You heard me, Mother."

"I don't know what that viper told you, but I did not drug you, Lucas, you're my son."

He was sure that the fingernails pushing into his palms were going to draw blood, "That's right, I am you're son. You're _son_. How could you do that to me? Why couldn't you be happy that I was in love?"

"I would never hurt you, baby. I don't know where you got such a ridiculous idea, but it's not the truth."

Silently, he looked at the woman who had raised him from infancy. She had been his world for so long that it was impossible for him to reconcile the mother he loved with the _thing _before him. She shifted uncomfortable under his gaze and it sent a dark thrill of satisfaction through him. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to comfort her. It was crazy and stupid and it made him hate her all the more.

"I have proof, Kate. Sami and I went to the Jetway. We got the security tape from the bar for that night. I know everything, so don't bother denying it. You're caught."

This time the shock would have been apparent to anyone who cared to look their way. He watched her watch him for a moment, but he could not have expected what came out of her mouth. He had thought that she would at least have the decency to fake being sorry. Not so much.

"I had to stop you from marrying her. Sami Brady is like poison, Lucas. She would have destroyed you."

"Well, that is my business, Mother. If I want to risk being 'destroyed' I will. You have no right to interfere."

"I am your mother. It's my job to protect you and I'm not sorry I did it. I'd do it again if I had the chance and I will continue to make sure Sami Brady stays the hell out of your life for as long as I live. I will make no apologies for loving my son."

"You don't know what love is."

There was so much more he could say to her. The angry words and horrible accusations were swirling in his mind, begging to be let loose, but he knew a better way. A way that would make her suffer the way she wanted him to suffer.

………………………………...

Bo looked up in surprise as Lucas charged into his office. There was a cool detachment surrounding him that Bo had never noticed before. He had a tape in his hand and looked at him without emotion. His demeanor was like a man without any warmth.

"I'd like to report a crime."


	13. Different

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I haven't had much free time lately. In the last chapter, the break in the page was supposed to indicate the passage of time. Before the break was just after breakfast and after it would have been around lunchtime. Sorry if that was confusing, now on with the story. Oh, and remember we like Belle in this fic and Philip is in war, but hasn't been captured.**

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

Lucas looked at Bo with empty eyes. Now, he certainly didn't want to let Kate get away with messing up people's lives, but the younger man's lack of emotion was becoming a little frightening.

"You've seen the evidence, you have to arrest her. I thought that was some sort of law. I'll even find out where she is for you."

"What ever you say."

Bo studied him further for a minute as he waited for an answer to his phone call. There was definitely something off about Lucas, but he had no idea how to help him.

……………………………………

Sami held the mug of hot chocolate tightly, letting it warm her numb hands from the February chill. Belle was bustling in the kitchen like the little Susie homemaker that she was, but Sami couldn't help wishing that she would just sit still.

Her concern was sweet on some level, but it was so overwhelming that Sami hadn't gotten the chance to tell her there was no need for it. At least she hoped there wasn't.

She and Lucas were back together, as it should be, and he finally saw his mother for the bitch that she was. He was just reacting right now, that had to be it. Things would go back to normal in a little while.

Blessedly, Belle finally came to sit down with her homemade Dunkaccino, or half coffee-half hot chocolate concoction that had taken her so long in the kitchen. She took a dainty sip before focusing her gaze on her older sister.

"How're you doing? Are you okay? Has he tried to talk to you? Did you kick him? I hope you kicked him really hard. I hope you _broke_ something. He's such a…"

"Belle, sweetie, calm down. I didn't break anything…"

"Well you should have."

"You don't know the whole story. That's what I came here to tell you. See…"

"Belle, honey, I thought you might be lonely without Philip here so I decided to… oh, hello Sami."

Kate nodded to her coldly with a flare of her nostrils and closed the loft door. Belle held in a wince, as she was sure this was exactly what her sister didn't need right now and Kate's attention was becoming more like smothering. At least she meant well.

"So, you decided to prey on poor Belle's sympathy because you couldn't satisfy Lucas. I guess you really will use any situation to your advantage."

"Kate!"

"No, Belle, it's okay. She obviously doesn't know the whole story either, and I _know_ I'll enjoy telling her."

"Telling me what, Sami? That Lucas finally saw you for the useless waste that you are. In fact, we just had a little conversation about that while I was driving over here. I believe his exact words were 'You were so right, Mom. Sami would've destroyed me. I'm sorry I spoke to you the way that I did for _her_.'"

Sami studied her with an icy blue gaze and Belle couldn't remember the last time she had seen her sister look at anyone with that much hate. It was so much more than she could ever remember seeing focused on her dad, Carrie, or even Lucas.

"You have a lot of nerve to keep up with these lies. Maybe you don't know that you've been caught, but I really doubt it. I was there when Lucas watched the tape, and I know you know what I'm talking about. You're sick."

Sami saw a flash of something in Kate's eyes, but was unable to fully let out her contempt for the pathetic woman in front of her by the somewhat unfortunate, though not at all unwelcome, arrival of her Uncle Bo and Lucas, along with a few other boys in blue.

For a second she wondered how Belle felt about the fact that everyone barged into her apartment unannounced, but that thought was promptly pushed to the back of her mind as she observed the strange exchange between her uncle and her fiancé.

Bo looked at him for a minute and Lucas gave him a curt nod. Oh, how she hoped they were doing what she thought they were doing. She would take great pleasure in _that_.

Bo let a little smile quirk his lips as he moved in for the kill. He had never liked Kate much, although he didn't hate her or anything, but there was such a sense of satisfaction when he cuffed a criminal he knew he could keep in jail for a long time. Trying to keep his satisfaction from showing, he moved forward and decided to jump right into the good stuff.

"Kate, we have just received evidence of your crime this afternoon."

"I don't know what the hell…"

"I'm hoping that you'll come peacefully," with no small sense of accomplishment, Bo took out his handcuffs; it felt good to actually cuff a criminal. He ignored the woman's indignant sputtering as he closed the cold metal around her bony wrists and began to recite her Miranda Rights.

"Bo, this is all a mistake. Lucas, tell him that I didn't do anything. You won't let him send you're mother to jail, will you? I know you won't. Lucas, Belle _do_ something."

Belle watched in bewilderment as her mother-in-law was handcuffed by her ex-boyfriend's father. She had no idea what was going on here, but if Lucas wasn't going to do anything to help Kate, then she supposed that there had to be a good reason. She just wished she could've understood the conversation Sami and Kate were having before all of this started.

Lucas clamped down his jaw, vaguely aware that his dentist would not be happy with the grinding going on, but he had to stop himself from trying to help her. It was a knee-jerk reaction and he was doing his best to kill it, but she was his _mother_. She didn't deserve his sympathy or his loyalty. It hadn't gotten him anywhere.

"Give it up, Mother. You brought this on yourself when you drugged me."

Sami let a smirk grace her pretty mouth, "Bye-bye, Katie. Hope you have fun in prison, I know I did."

Bo led his prisoner out with a terse nod to the group gathered in loft, leaving Belle to exclaim in puzzlement, "What just happened here?"

………………………………...

Sami and Lucas entered her apartment and she tossed her coat onto a chair. She moved to take his coat as well, but he tossed it aside without acknowledging her attempt. Briefly, she bit her lip as she wondered how to breach the subject, before deciding to just bite the bullet.

She plopped down onto the couch and looked up at him uncertainly, "Are you okay?"

He raised an eyebrow in a silent show of his confusion, and then added, "Why would you ask me that? I'm fine."

"Are you sure, because you don't seem fine? I mean, I'm glad Kate's in prison, 'cause that's exactly where she belongs, but you're… I don't know. You seem different."

Letting his first smile out in what felt like hours, Lucas took her hand and gently brought her up to stand in from of him, and then wrapped his arms around her waist. Purposefully, he pressed a kiss to her neck and whispered, "I'm _fine_."

He knew it was a lie, but it seemed to soothe her for now. Which was good because right now all he wanted was to loose himself in Sami. He needed to wrap himself up in her warmth and love, because if he didn't forget what his mother had done he was sure he would spontaneously combust.

Sami let him maneuver them towards the bedroom door. She was pretty sure sex wasn't what he needed right now, but he was kissing her. _Kissing_ her, and he was acting like himself again, and that was a combination she was helpless to resist.

**I don't know if Kate's arrest had quite the bang that you might have been looking for, but this fic is more about how Lucas handles what's happening to him and how it affects Lumi. Somehow, that detail is what made it longer than I had thought it would be.**


	14. Too Much

**Again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. One thing I can promise is that I will never leave a story of mine unfinished. In fact, I really should be trying to sleep right now, but I don't want to loose what I've come up with by waiting until morning. I apologize right now for the angst to come. It will not last long, but it's been in the works for awhile. Otherwise, I would've found a way around it, because right not, if angst were a person I'd want to kick his ass. And remember, this is back in February, when Mickey and Maggie were having problems, too. Now read, this shouldn't have gotten so long.**

There has been much debate over the centuries as to the true definition of death. If a man flat lines on the operating table, but is brought back, has he really died? If a woman in a coma looses brain activity, but her heart is still beating, is she dead? For that matter, could death merely be the cessation of living? And what was the opposite of life? Death or, simply, apathy? Could death and apathy, in fact, be the same thing?

Sami had no idea her thoughts were so complex or confusing as she sat musing on the definition of death. All she knew was that Lucas had died without ever having lost the ability to think or the beat of his heart. If there was such a thing as living death, he embodied it.

He was calm. He was cool. He was empty. Without realizing he had done so, he had withdrawn from life, he had withdrawn from her.

The only time he seemed to be her Lucas anymore was in bed. He'd come to life. He'd be passionate and loving. His touch would be gentle. He'd whisper all the right words as he loved her, and in that moment she would believe.

And then he would withdraw again. She'd promise herself that this would be the day that she'd talk to him, but then he'd show just a hint of his true self. And Sami knew from experience that forcing him to go back would not be the way to fix it. So she would wait. She was still waiting.

And so, Sami Brady sat alone at a booth in the pub sipping her hot tea and waiting.

……………………………………………….

Lucas sat on the couch staring blankly at the TV. He wasn't watching it. He wasn't doing anything, just sitting.

Life was a lot simpler when the only things you focused on were eating, sleeping and sex. And, of course, he couldn't forget the sitting. Unfortunately, his very productive day of staring at nothing was interrupted by a knock on the door. Damn people with their knocking on doors and making him do things.

And, of course, it had to be Maggie with her false cheerfulness and her probably fake love for him. Mother figures weren't good for anything if real mothers weren't. But he'd rather not think about that.

"What're you doing here?"

"I just thought I'd check on my favorite nephew."

He flopped back onto the couch and fixed her with a quiet gaze, "I'm not really your nephew, though, am I? Mickey's married to Bonnie."

"I'm not quite sure about the legalities of our situation."

A dark thrill filled him at the shake in her voice and immediately he hated himself. But, then, he couldn't find it in him to care about her problems. He had problems of his own.

"Besides, Lucas, I came here to see how you're doing."

"Oh, please, let's skip me. We both know you'd much rather talk about yourself. Go for it."

Maggie looked at him with a shock he didn't even have to put effort in to ignore.

"I came here to check on you, Lucas. Mickey and I will be fine in the end. There's no other way for it to turn out."

"Wow. You're either naive as hell or living in denial. But, you know what; I bow to your superior knowledge and faith. If you want to be a fool, that's fine with me."

"Lucas, I know you're hurting right now, but…"

"I'm sorry; did I hurt you with the truth? Don't worry, Maggie, you're still young. You'll bounce back just fine."

Maggie looked for the entire world, like she had lost her sense of direction. This was a Lucas she had never encountered before. A cold, sarcastic Lucas that had always been kept far away from her.

With her almost regal dignity still intact, she raised herself slowly from the couch. With a gaze that was no less loving than it had ever been, Maggie lifted her chin.

"I know you're hurting right now, so I won't hold this against you. I just hope you can find yourself again before you loose everything. I love you, Lucas."

With her head held high, she walked out the door with only a passing nod to Sami.

Sami entered the apartment quietly. She betrayed no hint of the growing fury inside her body, that found its origin in her deepest fears come to life, until the door had closed. Then she turned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Lucas looked unaffected by her wrath and only gazed up at her with a blank, if some what warmer look. It was the warmth that he fixed on her and her alone that always stopped her from talking about it, but this was too much.

"How could you talk to Maggie like that? She's loved you like a mo…"

Quickly, she stopped what she had been about to say, but he knew. The slight warmth she had detected disappeared and he was once again a man she didn't want to recognize.

"Go ahead, say it. 'She's loved me like a mother.' See, there's the problem. Mothers aren't good for anything. All they do is destroy your life."

She gave a dry laugh that held no humor in its depths, "Really. Well, what about me, Lucas. I'm a mother. Am I going to destroy Will's life? Am I going to betray him and break his heart? Is that what you think?"

There was emotion in his eyes now. She had hit something, but in her anger she couldn't see that, "No, no. Sami, you're…different."

"But _Maggie_ is just like Kate!"

"I _don't_ want to talk about her."

"You need to talk about her, Lucas. You need to do something. You're scaring me."

The warning in his voice was almost palpable, "You don't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand. Because you won't talk to me. I'm here, ready and waiting for you to confide in me. I want you to lean on me. I want to help you through this, I need to."

"Yeah, of course you need to help me. Damn that guilty conscience, right? Well, I don't need your help. I'll deal with this in my own time, in my own way. You see, my _mother_ betrayed everything I thought was true in my life. If you can't let me deal with this, then maybe we shouldn't be getting married."

Her body reeled back a fraction of an inch as the words flew out of his mouth. She closed her eyes and he watched her soak in the rash words he had let out. When she opened her eyes again there was a calm sadness there that broke something inside of him.

She picked up her purse and looked him straight in the eyes, "Fine, Lucas, let her win."


	15. Free

The door closed with a resounding thud and that's when he knew it was real. His bottom had been pulled out from under him yet again. Everything was upside-down and topsy-turvy and he was slowly sinking into an abyss of his own making.

A desperate panic welled up inside of him, taking control. A hazy cloud of endless misery engulfed him and his legs moved to the door of their own violation. He wrenched open the door, positive that she would still be on the other side because Sami would _never_ leave him.

The elevator doors were closing as he looked out in helpless silence. His breathing quickened and he tried with practiced patience to wake up from what _had _to be another nightmare. This was not happening. He had not just pushed Sami out of his life. Never _Sami._

This was all _her_ fault. The stupid bitch was always ruining everything. How could she drive Sami out of his life? He _needed_ her. Why was it that his mother always cost him the things that mattered most?

……………………………………………..

"Oh my God, Sami? What's the matter?"

To say that finding her big sister looking like _that_ outside of her door was something of a surprise would be an understatement. It seemed that Sami was never completely without emotional turmoil and, somehow, she had been dragged into most of it recently.

It was a lot easier than thinking about Philip and Shawn, though.

Sami settled on Belle's couch while letting her little sister make whatever warm drink concoction she felt like inventing in the kitchen. She was too tired to care.

That was the only emotion she felt right now, just tired. Keeping from thinking about anything and everything was hard work. All her energy was drained and sleep would have been such a welcome option. Only problem was that Lucas wouldn't be with her when she tried to go to sleep later tonight and somehow that just felt wrong.

Belle handed her a warm mug and her mind settled on wondering when the little cream colored coffee cup with the ceramic lizard eating part of the handle had become "her" mug. Maybe she was depending on her little sister too much.

Belle sat Indian style facing her completely ready for the next installment of "Sami and Lucas's Great Adventure," also known as life, and she found herself deeply grateful for the undivided attention of _somebody_.

"So, what happened?"

Sami took a deep breath and tried in vain to find the right words, "I think… well, I think Lucas broke up with me."

"Th-that's crazy. Have you _seen_ the way he looks at you? It was probably nothing."

She rubbed her temple in a preemptive attempt to stop a headache from forming, and then quickly drew her hand away. Great, now she was even using his nervous habits.

"He's been so different lately, Belle. After everything that Kate did, he can't find his way and he won't let me help him."

"This has got to be hard for him, though. From everything I've heard, it sounds like Lucas and Kate were really close. Maybe he just needs more time."

"I wasn't the one who left, Belle. He keeps pushing me away."

"Then push him back. _My_ sister would never let it end this way."

Sami bit her lip before choosing her words carefully, "Nothing's ending while I have a say in it. I just… I don't know if he'll let me help him."

………………………………………………...

Pace, pace, turn. Pace, pace, turn. This was good. Pacing was mindless. Pace, pace, turn. The emotional high which had brought him here was slowly wearing away and he desperately wanted it back.

"Lucas, baby, I knew you'd come eventually."

He didn't turn around. He couldn't. It was much easier to maintain the blinding fury when he wasn't looking at her. Looking at her would make the fact that he had sent his mother to jail a reality. What kind of a son did that? Was he really any better than her?

Steeling himself he turned around and sat on the chair across from her. She was looking at him with the love of a mother and that sent a hot bolt of anger through him. Bitch.

"I'm not here to help you. All I want is for you to answer one question, that's all."

Kate tossed her hair back and he wondered how much of what he saw was an act. She seemed perfectly composed, more like she was meeting him for lunch rather than in a prison. He could almost term her expression as defiant.

"What do you want to know?"

He let out a whoosh of air and kept his tone calm and quiet, "What did I do that made you hate me?"

The look of horror on her face gave him no satisfaction and, even worse, it gave him no answer. That was all he needed. If he could find the answer, then everything would get better. Maybe he could deserve Sami again and the constant questioning in his mind would stop.

Her voice was not the shriek he half expected, but instead there was a quality that he couldn't define.

"You think I hate you?"

He clenched his jaw, "Why else would you destroy my life?"

"It was never you, Lucas. You're a father. You have to understand the lengths a parent would go to protect their child. The stupid bitch would have ruined your life. She had to be stopped."

The absolute coldness in her eyes touched something in him and her words stopped his breath. _"Stupid bitch..."_ how many times had those same words entered his mind since he had found out the truth? Was this what he was going to become?

She continued repeating the same complaints against Sami that he had heard for most of his life and he was amazed at the simplicity of what was before him. Her anger had turned her into something not quite human anymore and he could not let that be him. There was simply no way.

"I need to let you go," the realization was the softest whisper, his salvation from the storm and he looked in her eyes, willing her to understand, "I love you, Mom, because I can't stop that, but I need to let you go. I can't let this take me down."

He didn't stay to hear her complaints, but a small smile graced his features as he walked away.

……………………………………………..

"You're here."

It was a statement of wonder and a part of Sami was sure that her imagination was acting up. Lucas sat on her couch somehow looking brighter. The dark cloud that had hung over him had lessened somewhat.

He ignored her statement and waved her to come towards him. She stopped a few inches from where he sat and he took her hand and gently guided her onto his lap, "I've been a real bastard lately, haven't I?"

With a tiny shrug she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, "I've been known to be a bitch from time to time."

His arms tightened around her and he drank in her scent. The tiniest quiver of fear shook his voice, "You still love me?"

She kissed his temple and tightened her grip, "Always."

He closed his eyes and let her soothe him, "Everything isn't fixed yet."

"I know"

"I'll need you to help me."

"I'm always here, Lucas."

She pulled back enough to stroke his cheek lightly and look into his eyes. He rewarded her with a tender smile.

"And, maybe, once everything's okay, we could get married."

She pressed her forehead against his and absorbed the moment, "You have to do one thing for me, first. Can you talk to Maggie?"

He lowered his eyes in shame and his heart skipped a beat, "I already decided to see her first thing tomorrow."

"Good," she leaned forward and brushed a light kiss on his lips.

He held on to Sami tightly and finally felt free from it all "We'll be fine."

**  
We've reached the end of another one. This one got a little longer than I planned, but it was worth it. I know the end's a little open-ended, but I think it gives Lumi room to heal. If you find yourself desperate for closure, I might add an epilogue, but remember that the word 'might' is in there. Remember to keep the Lumi faith, guys. I'll be back sooner or later.**


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